The Harp of God eBook

CHAPTER VIII

String 7: Mystery Revealed

A mystery is that which is kept a profound secret.
It is something unknown, except to certain ones, being
kept carefully and continuously concealed from all
others. Jehovah being all powerful can hide or
keep secret from every creature, earthly or heavenly,
any part or all of his great plan and reveal or make
it known at such time as might please him. One
feature of his great plan he did keep secret for ages
and it is still a secret to all except a few.

[299]When Jesus was on earth he taught the people
in parables or dark sayings. His disciples came
to him and asked: “Why speakest thou unto
them in parables? He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
(Matthew 13:10,11) It will be observed that he did
not say, ‘You now know the mysteries of God’;
but that it was given them to know those mysteries.
Not even his disciples understood him in many things
when they were with him. On the last night before
his crucifixion he was instructing them in various
things that would be helpful to them in the days to
come. On that occasion he said: “When
he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will show you things to come.” (John
16:13) The spirit of truth here mentioned is the holy
spirit, the spirit of God, the invisible power operating
upon the minds of those who are in covenant relationship
with God. Jesus here used the masculine pronoun
in speaking of the holy spirit.

[300]The holy spirit was given to the disciples at
Pentecost, that is to say, fifty days after the resurrection
of Jesus. “And when the day of Pentecost
was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting. And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them. And they were all filled with
the holy spirit, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)
The King James Version of our Bibles, translates the
word here holy “ghost”, but there is no
warrant for such a translation. It comes from
the word which means spirit.

[301]It was at Pentecost that for the first time God’s
great mystery began to be understood by the disciples.
The mystery of God has been a stumbling block to both
Jews and Christians so-called; but in God’s due
time he will make known to all the secret of his mystery
and then all rightly exercised by this will rejoice
with exceeding joy.

[302]The mystery is the Christ, the great one
through whom redemption, deliverance and blessing
will ultimately come to all mankind who receive Christ
and obey him. God foreshadowed his mystery for
ages by the use of various men. Yet all of that
time he kept it secret.